Is it possible to eat a cactus. Edible cactus fruit

The prickly pear cactus is native to Cyprus. This amazing flower is not only beautiful in bloom, but also ... edible and incredibly delicious! What and how is it made from prickly pear? How to prepare it for cooking?

In this article you will find the history of the distribution of this cactus, many useful tips on how to peel the prickly pear, and how to make marmalade from it.

Opuntia is the largest genus of plants in the Cactaceae family, including about 300 species of plants of various sizes and exotic-thorny appearance.

The plant is one and a half meter tall. Branches in the form of green cakes, thick and strong. They have yellow thorns. There are many fruits. The fruits are also spiked. Rarely without thorns. Is that the "Indian fig", which produces delicious purple fruits.

Meanwhile, prickly pears triumphantly march across the globe, conquering new areas. They settled especially quickly in Australia. This was initiated by A. Phillip, one of the Australian governors. He brought prickly pear from Brazil to breed cochineal on it - this aphid gave a red dye. Soldiers' pants were painted with it. Then some of the prickly pears were brought in by gardeners from Argentina. Opuntia escaped from plantations and settled on farm lands. In 1920, they already controlled 60 million acres, forming impenetrable barriers 1.5 meters high.

The alarmed government created a council for prickly pears, which was instructed to stop the further promotion of cacti. We tried different things: chemistry, fire, plows, harrows. Useless. Then 150 species of leaf-eating insects were brought from the New World. 149 of them found farm vegetables to be tastier. And only the moth cactoblastus from Argentina lived up to expectations. His caterpillars soon cleared most of the farm fields.

Before World War II, prickly pears began to grow on farm fields in Texas. This time, the culprit was a thornless pear - large-rooted prickly pear. It spreads through the meadows, like a "caterpillar devil", only slightly rising above the soil. The seeds are difficult to germinate. Seedlings develop slowly. They are afraid of competition from meadow grasses and even more grazing livestock. And yet, in the meadows, the cactus grew rapidly and uncontrollably. There were rabbits. Those fruits were adored.

Rabbits started feeding on prickly pears in August. And they ate until the very frost, until November. And since the seeds of prickly pears were found in the droppings all year round, they guessed that the rabbits were picking up the fallen fruits, and the sowing of cacti was continued in winter. And although the rabbits were, of course, not the only sowers, they began to struggle with them.

It remained to solve the second part of the problem. Why are prickly pears so well fortified in pastures if their seedlings are sensitive to all adversity and grow slowly? They found out that before the war there had been a severe drought for four years. She retarded the growth of herbs. There were fewer herbs. There were also fewer cattle grazing. Opuntia, perfectly adapted to drought, grew no worse than before. We stood and won. Each hectare now numbered 300-400 bushes.

Someone brought prickly pears to Madagascar, they settled in the fields. And there they began to eradicate them. But some Madagascars are already thinking. After all, prickly pears are food. And not bad. And they don't require any care. These plants are definitely created for our era, when more and more accumulates in the world of badlands - all kinds of wastelands, washed away and destroyed soils. On such lands, prickly pears have no competitors. Indeed, in nature they grow where there is less competition.

Fleeing from competition, prickly pears found refuge not only in the desert, but also on the shores of the ocean. The idea of ​​cacti as children of dry, sun-scorched plains is not entirely accurate. Opuntia thrive just as well in mangroves so close to the water that tidal waves roll over them twice a day. Despite the water procedures, they bloom, as usual, and bear fruit. And their appearance does not change. Only in the thickest of the mangroves do they become less thick and more lanky. Opuntia go further than other cacti and to the north, reaching Canada itself.

Opuntia are cacti with flat, succulent, articulated branches. Erect or creeping shrubs, less often trees. On the stems there are modified axillary buds - areoles - with thorns and a bunch of easily breaking thin thorns - glochidia. Leaves are small, juicy, subulate, falling early. Flowers are single, bisexual. The fruits are berry-like, juicy, sweet, with a pleasant fruity aroma in many species, one of which is known as "Indian fig" (Opuntia ficus-indica) - edible. Unlike other cacti, the seeds are flat with a hard skin. Opuntia is a perennial cactus.

Its stem is fleshy, leaf-shaped, segmented, has a bluish-green color and flat-oval shape. Areoles are located on its surface, depending on the species, containing large or small spines. Many prickly pears have glochidia - bundles of tiny, very fragile, hooked hairs that are painfully absorbed into the skin. Like many cacti, prickly pears grow and develop slowly, moving to flowering only in the 10-12th year of life.

The prickly pear blooms from early April to September with beautiful large flowers. The formed green cones of the fruit quickly increase in size and, soon ripening, become red-burgundy. The formation of flowers in most tall prickly pears under indoor conditions cannot be counted on. But if they grow in large tubs that can be taken out into the garden in summer, or are in greenhouse soil, then on the flat lateral segments, many round simple flowers with short yellow, orange or red (less often white) petals often appear. The stamens of prickly pears are usually short, even with a light touch, they immediately curl. The fleshy berries contain light seeds the size of a grain of lentils, their ossified shell complicates the germination of prickly pears in a European climate. One feature is characteristic of prickly pears, namely proliferation (the ability to develop new flowers and shoots from fruits, but seeds are not set in the fruits).

Flowers appear from spring to autumn in bright red, orange or yellow. Fruits in indoor conditions on prickly pears are very rare. These are pinkish, prickly berries, shaped like pears. The fruits of many types of prickly pear are edible and are known as "Indian figs".

Opuntia are of interest to flower growers not only because of the variety of growth forms, but also because of the complete unpredictability of development, because prickly pear shoots sometimes appear where you least expect them. It is difficult to resist the temptation and not to revive your collection of cactuses with the help of such amazing plants, even though they sometimes grow too fast and are very unpleasant to prick. The fact is that all prickly pears have glochidia - tiny bristles, the curved tips of which can only be seen under a microscope. They sit precariously in pubescent areoles and dig into the skin at the most careful touch to them. It is best to remove glochidia with tweezers, in soapy water or under the pressure of running water.

The prickly pear is also an ancient plant of the Indians, depicted in the state emblem of Mexico. Stems contain starch, sugar, protein, vitamin C. They can serve as animal feed. Plants reproduce easily vegetatively. In some parts of America, locals eat the fig-like fruits of prickly pears, calling these fleshy berries "tuna" and distinguishing them by color (tuna amarilla, tuna blanca, tuna tinta, etc.). The fruits of wild prickly pears were also eaten in Spain, where the ripening time of these berries was celebrated as a kind of folk festival. Jams, jams are also made from the fruits of some types of prickly pear, and syrup, molasses and wine are made from the juice. Ripe fruits are dried, and unripe ones are cooked with meat. Italians eat prickly pear fruits as a dessert, fresh or after being cooked.

In culture, the most popular are undersized species with segments flattened in the form of cakes, although in indoor conditions they bloom reluctantly. Opuntia, with the rare exception of some cactus species, is very easy to grow. You need to take care of prickly pears very carefully, as globodes easily separate and stick into your fingers.

The fruits of prickly pear growing in Italy and other Mediterranean countries are used as a medicinal (they have a strengthening property) and a vitamin agent, because berries, like leaves, contain a large amount of vitamin C.

The fruits of prickly pear or teonochtli (or tuna), as the Aztecs called prickly pear, had a sweet and sour taste and were widely used for food. The Europeans who appeared here many centuries later, began to call it prickly pear. Indeed, in shape, the fruits of prickly pear most of all resemble a small pear or lemon. These fruits can be consumed both fresh and dried or boiled, only thin thorns must first be removed from the skin of the fruit. The analysis showed that the fruits contain albumin, plant mucus, and sugars. That is why syrups and jellies are made from the juice obtained from the fruits of prickly pears, and also used as a red dye in the confectionery industry. When the juice is fermented, a low-alcohol drink called kolinke is obtained as a result of fermentation.

Mexicans to this day also use prickly pear stems for food. For this, young shoots are used, which are first cleaned of thorns, and then they serve as the basis for the preparation of a number of national dishes.

At the end of August, pale green, yellow and crimson "fingers" of exotic fruits appear on prickly pear trees - "prickly pears», « barbarian figs"- as they are often called. Collecting outlandish fruits must be done with care, with the help of special devices such as wire cutters or, at least, wrapping your hands with a thick cloth. The prickly pear spines are very small and very easily penetrate the skin, but are removed from it with great difficulty. You can separate the fruit from the peel as follows: lower the fruit in water, hold it there for several minutes, and, holding it with your thumb and middle finger at both ends, cut the peel along the fruit with a knife and bend it (again, with a knife) to the side. The helper, in this case, must pull out the watery pulp of the fruit from the rind. Otherwise, the hands will be mutilated with thorns.

Fruit prickly pearhave a cylindrical shape, are about 5-7 cm long. There are whole curiosities, despite the harsh skin. The "thorns" taste very sweet and juicy, even somewhat like persimmon, but with a coniferous flavor and an abundance of small seeds. The prickly pear is the fruit of the “prickly pear cactus” or “prickly pear”, better known as “nopal” from the Opuntia cactus genus. ). Delicious preserves, jams, as well as oriental sweets come out of such an outlandish fruit.

From the prickly pear flower on the surface of the leaf, an oblong, kiwi-shaped fruit grows. The fruit of the prickly pear is considered a fruit, and the stems of this cactus are also eaten and are considered ... vegetables. This is such an amazing exotic plant.

What does the prickly pear fruit look like? Ripe fruit is green with red and yellow dots. It is incredibly prickly, and below we show you how to clean it. Opuntia fruits can often be found in modern supermarkets, where special tongs lie near them so that customers do not prick on the sharp needles of the fruit skin. How to prepare prickly pear fruits for eating?

Peeling prickly pear berries should be approached with special attention. Firstly, in order to easily clean the too prickly prickly pear fruits from small needles, you need to wear rubber gloves. Next, pour the prickly berries with cold water, or even better, rinse the prickly pear fruits with a strong stream of water, as a result of which the small needles-villi will wash off themselves. Now blot the cactus fruits with a paper towel. Queue to cut the skin from each fruit.

To do this, holding it with a fork, cut off the ends of the fruit first, then make an incision along the entire fruit and peel off the peel with a spoon. See the photo how to clean the prickly pear correctly and not prick:

1. Holding the prickly pear with a fork, cut off one end and then the other.

We make a longitudinal cut in the fruit with a knife.

Gently insert the spoon and remove the pulp in a circular motion along the inner diameter of the prickly pear.

We very carefully discard what is left, because prickly pear spines are almost impossible to pull out of the body.

We get a juicy, peeled fruit that tastes a bit like our persimmon.

What can be prepared from prickly pear fruits? The prickly pear fruits taste juicy, sour, sometimes they give off sweetness, depending on the variety, some fruits are more fragrant, others are more bland. The pulp of the prickly pear can be eaten with a spoon. And you can cook various dishes from it, for example, bake it in the oven, add it to liqueurs and cocktails to enhance the taste, stew meat with it, add to desserts, and even make marmalade out of it, the recipe for which we will provide you below.

The fruits of prickly pear are multifaceted in taste, so they can be added to both sweet and salty dishes. Opuntia leaves, as we said, are also edible. They are baked, pickled, stewed with poultry or meat, boiled, added to salads. Opuntia leaves for culinary dishes are chosen not too thick, they are cleaned of needles with a knife, washed and used for food.

Prickly pear marmalade

You can make jam from the fruits of prickly pears in the usual homemade way, or you can spend a little more time and make a tart, refreshing taste, with a slight sourness of marmalade out of them.

Prickly pear marmalade is prepared on the basis of fresh puree from its fruits. This puree is sold in supermarkets, or you can make it yourself.

You will need:

Puree of prickly pear fruits - 400 grams

Stevia -1/2 teaspoon

Any dry salad dressing - 1 teaspoon

Agar-agar - 1 teaspoon

Water - 50 grams

Sugar to taste.

Defrost (if purchased) mashed potatoes or take the usual pulp of prickly pear fruits, rub it through a sieve or chop in a blender, heat to a boil over very low heat, stirring constantly. Dissolve agar (gelatin) in 50 g of hot water (not boiling!), Pour in the prickly pear fruit puree, bring the mixture to a boil and boil for another minute, add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Let the mixture cool and pour it into silicone molds, put in the refrigerator. The prickly pear marmalade is ready!

For those who grow cacti at home, it is surprising that cats love to feast on them. But Africans, South Americans have long known the edible fruits of the cactus. They prepare delicious dishes from them, feast on their juicy pulp.

The interest of flower growers in cacti is understandable, they have so diverse forms of growth, they develop so amazingly. The only drawback of cactus-like are the thorns, which can bring trouble, sticking into the human body. But among these green plants there are harmless and even tasty ones that save people from hunger and thirst.

Acquaintance with edible cactus species

Considering that cacti are succulents, it is safe to say that they have a lot of water reserves. And the fruits that give many of the thorny plants contain a large amount of nutrients, vitamins.

Opuntia, its features

Opuntia cactus

In the wild, Opuntia is found in Latin America. After the conquest of the mainland by Europeans, the plant spread throughout the world. And now it can be found as an element of landscape design in unusual places. Due to the shape and taste of Opuntia fruits, it is called Indian pear, fig cactus, dragon. The features of the appearance of the plant include:

1. thick, flat, tortilla-like branches;
2. yellowish spines, collected in bunches;
3. flowers are orange or yellowish;
4. fruits resembling a pear are pinkish in color.

The cactus is a symbol of Mexico, its image flaunts on the country's coat of arms.

Hilocereus, plant description

The fruit of hilocereus - pitahaya - is distinguished by a pear-like shape, white flesh, in which small black seeds are hidden. The berry weighs up to one kilogram. The white flesh under the skin is edible and needs to be peeled. The taste of pitahaya is somewhat reminiscent of strawberries. Delicious fruits of hilocereus are treated in Vietnam, Thailand. They make jams, wines, add pulp to sweets and cocktails.

Mammillaria, taste and benefits

Mammillaria is considered one of the most beautiful in the cactus family, with many species. In Mammillaria pink, as well as wildi, bright elongated fruits ripen simultaneously with the appearance of flowers. They taste like barberry berries. The fruits contain a lot of vitamin C. They are human, increasing the body's resistance to colds.

How to eat the fruits of Opuntia

For those who have never tasted the fruits of a cactus, it is important to know how to use them for food. After all, the fruits have a thick peel and are studded with needles.

Rules for pulling needles from fruits

Mammillaria cactus spines

On the barbarian fig, as the Mexicans call the berries of Opuntia, there are many small and large needles. Because of this, when picking berries, they cover their hands with gloves made of thick and durable rubber. When removing edible fruits from a cactus, they are held in place with wide tongs.

You can remove the smallest, most unpleasant prickles from Opuntia by placing the fruits under a strong stream of water. She will wash off the bushes of miniature thorns. Tweezers are used to remove large needles. Another way is to pull the thorns out with your hands wrapped in a cotton napkin. The procedure is carried out over the sink so that the needles do not fall on the floor.

If, nevertheless, the thorns are stuck in the skin of the hands, then they are carefully pulled out with tweezers.
The most convenient way to remove the needles is to pre-freeze the fruit. After removing them from the freezer, shake off the thorns into the cooked dishes.

How to peel off the skin so as not to prick while eating

The hardness and density of the outer shell of the berries will become an obstacle to eating them. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the thick skin with the following methods:

• Holding the fruit with a fork, cut off the rind from both ends of the fruit.
• Then the fruit is cut longitudinally with a sharp knife.
• Having hooked the edge of the skin, carefully remove it from the whole berry.
• Now it remains to cut the pulp and feast on the unusual fruit.

If there is no time to completely peel the edible fruits from the cacti, then you can simply cut them, choosing the pulp with a spoon. They are consumed together with the bright, juicy mass and the seeds inside.

Are cactus berries tasty?

Different types of Opuntia also have different fruit tastes. Usually ripe fruits have a juicy, bright red flesh. The seeds inside are similar to those found in grapes. Sweet and sour fruits taste like pear, kiwi, and. There are species, the fruits of which resemble the taste of strawberries, persimmons. Since there is a lot of juice in the fruits, it is squeezed out and added to cocktails, and wine is made from it.

Useful properties of cactus fruits, possible harm

The peoples who inhabited the American continent in ancient times used cacti to escape from hunger and thirst. Doctors note that the fruits of the plant help with:

1. diabetes mellitus;
2. hypertension;
3. atherosclerosis;
4. renal failure as a diuretic;
5. arthritis,.

Useful properties of Opuntia

A large amount of ascorbic acid in Opuntia helps to strengthen the body's defenses, save from colds. You can relieve an elevated body temperature by drinking three liters of water with the addition of Opuntia fruit juice. Fruit used to be used to treat scurvy. The cactus pulp applied to the wounds accelerates their healing, stops them.

There are no absolute contraindications for using the plant in cooking, traditional medicine. It is forbidden to try it for those who are prone to allergic reactions. You can not eat the fruits of Opuntia for persons with kidney stones, as the juice of the berries will provoke their movement. Excessive passion for fruit will lead to vomiting, headaches.

The use of prickly pear in cooking

In addition to the fact that the fruits of Opuntia are eaten raw with pleasure, a lot of dessert dishes can be prepared from them. For example, marmalade made from raspberry pulp, mashed in puree, is delicious. It is prepared simply: gelatin diluted in hot water is added to the heated mass in the amount of 400 grams (one teaspoon per 50 grams of liquid). After bringing to a boil, add sugar to taste, a teaspoon of salad dressing. After boiling for a minute, the mass is poured into molds.

Delicious jam, jam is obtained from fruit. can be added to syrups, yogurt.

It is also suitable for preparing sauces for meat dishes.

Peeled Opuntia leaves are used for food. They are good with stews, chicken.

The medicinal properties, high taste qualities of edible cactus fruits have been studied and used for a long time. You can eat exotic fruits knowing about the peculiarities of their preparation. They will not only help with various diseases, but also diversify the diet.

Watch in the video how to properly peel and taste the fruits of the Opuntia cactus:

Not everyone knows that foods such as cactus fruits are eaten. For many, a cactus is just a thorny plant that sits near a computer. However, there are varieties of cactus that have not only edible, but also very tasty berry-like fruits.

These varieties include the following:

Prickly pear

The most common species with edible fruits. Wherein in Opuntia, not only the fruits are eaten, but even the stems... Initially, they are green, becoming red-burgundy as they mature. The fruits are covered with spines that are very small in size. In this regard, it is not recommended to take berries with bare hands. The taste is sweet with a slight sourness.

Hilocereus

In Russian and not only stores, you can often find such an exotic fruit as Pitahaya or Pitaya. This product is also called Dragon Fruit. It is the fruit of a cactus called Hilocereus. This cactus comes from Vietnam. The pulp has a sour taste... Some people compare the taste of pitaya to strawberry. They eat it raw, make jam, and also add it to dessert dishes.

Mammillaria

Also edible are the fruits of the Mammillaria cactus. They can grow on the plant throughout the year without dropping. These berries have a sour taste.... They are eaten raw, as well as for making jam.

Eating the fruits of Opuntia

The juicy pulp has a sweet taste with a slight sourness. Some compare the taste of Opuntia with strawberries, the second with a pear, and still others with kiwi.

The surface is hard, it is covered with small needles. Coloring - from pale green to red. Wherein Opuntia have not only interesting taste, but also healing properties..

Recently, such exoticism can be found on the shelves of foreign stores, less often domestic ones. A grabber is specially placed in the fruit tray, with which you can take them so as not to prick.

On the island of Cyprus, one kilogram of fruit costs about 1.5 euros.

How to pull the needles out of the fruit?

Before eating the fruit, you need to prepare them. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate all existing thorns.

At first, taking cactus fruits with bare hands is not recommended so as not to remove the needles from the skin later. In this regard, it is worth using durable rubber gloves. And the fruit itself is best held with wide tongs. Despite the fact that the needles are very small in size, their contact with the skin responds with painful sensations.

If the needle does get into the skin of your hands, you need to remove it with tweezers. It is advisable to do this over the sink, immediately rinsing the needles. Otherwise, the needles will fall to the floor, as a result of which they will have to be removed from the skin of the legs.

Secondly, to remove thorns, it is recommended to rinse Opuntia under a strong pressure of water... This will get rid of small needles. Large needles can be removed by wiping the surface of the fruit with a tissue. The napkin must be folded several times.

Fruits already peeled from thorns are on sale, therefore, to use them, you only need to rinse the fruits under water.

How to peel off the skin?

Since the peel of the fruit is quite tough and dense, it is recommended to remove it... How to do it?

1. Originally the ends of the fruit are cut off;
2. On the fruit is done longitudinal cut;
3. Skin pulls gently and is removed.

Some people prefer to simply cut the fruit in half and eat the pulp with a spoon. In this case, the bones are also eaten.

How to eat so as not to inject yourself?

It is recommended to wear durable rubber gloves on your hands to remove the needles from the berries. Berries are soaked in cold water or washed under a strong stream of running water... This will remove small thorns from the surface of the fruit.

Then the fruit is wiped with a paper napkin, which is folded several times.

In addition, in some other countries it is customary to initially freeze the fruit. After freezing, the needles are either washed off or simply shaken off the fruit.

What does the prickly pear fruit taste like?

Opuntia are juicy and slightly pleasantly sour. Moreover, depending on the variety, the taste can be sour or sweeter. Some varieties have an incredibly pleasant aroma, while others do not have it at all..

These fruits are able to perfectly quench thirst due to the juiciness and some wateriness of the pulp of the fruit. Therefore, some are surprised by the use of fruits in countries with cool climates.

The fruit contains small bones. In this plan fruit can be compared to pomegranate or grape... Someone refuses to eat them, and someone calmly chews them and uses them along with the pulp.

Benefit and harm

The fruits of this type of cactus have many beneficial properties. They are used for a number of the following diseases:

• Obesity;
• Diabetes;
• Gastric ulcer;
• Gastritis;
• Constipation.

At the same time, not only fruits are used in folk medicine, but also other parts of the cactus: leaves, flowers and stems.

Since ancient times, berries have been used to treat scurvy because they are high in vitamin C.

With the help of such an exotic fruit, some therapeutic diseases are also treated, for example, colds, and they are also used to lower body temperature.

Besides, fruit pulp is able to stop bleeding and has a wound healing effect... They also perfectly quench thirst due to their sour taste.

Berries are effectively used for weight loss. They not only help to reduce weight, but also help in the fight against cellulite and edema that often accompany obesity. They contain a minimum of calories.

However, the product should not be overused. Abuse can lead to a number of unpleasant consequences.:

1. Allergic reaction;
2. Headache;
3. Constipation;
4. Vomit.

What is made from prickly pear fruits?

The fruit is not only used raw. Most often it is used to prepare all kinds of dessert delicacies.... These include fruit salads, fruit drinks. They also prepare jams, preserves and confitures and marmalade. Also, berry pulp is often added to liqueurs.

But that's not all. Fruits are often used in the preparation of meat dishes. It is actively used to create sweet and sour gravies and sauces.

Some people bake berries in the oven without peeling them off. The skins are removed from already baked products.

It should be noted that there are several recipes that are actively used in traditional medicine for the treatment of certain diseases.

So, for the preparation of a cough-cold broth you will need:

• Fruit;
• Marshmallow root.

From the root of marshmallow, it is required to initially prepare a syrup, and then mix all the ingredients in a 2: 2: 1 ratio.

Also an effective remedy against fever is a recipe from:

• Prickly pear fruit;
• 3 liters of water.

Some varieties of cacti are edible and very tasty, which are actively eaten both raw and cooked. For example, these exotic fruits are added to hot dishes, desserts, and are used to make jams and confitures. The fruits are distinguished not only by good taste, but also by useful properties. At the same time, before eating the fruit, they must be cleaned of needles and peels.

Cactus fruits

Fruiting cacti are no less attractive than flowering ones. Moreover, since the process of advancing and ripening of cactus fruits lasts quite a long time from 1.5 - 2 months to six months, you can always expect pleasant surprises in the form of cute fruits of various shapes and colors that unexpectedly appeared on a cactus for you.

Gymnocalycium damzi

Gymnocalycium damsi ssp.

In the damsi hymnocalycium, if the flower is successfully pollinated, the fruit begins to fill in the cactus flower tube (flower stem) almost immediately after flowering. Ripening takes about 2 months. The "ripe" fruit cracks without falling off the cactus, revealing a raspberry, sticky pulp filled with small light brown seeds. Fresh seeds have a very high germination rate.

Turbinicarpus flaviflorus

Turbinicarpus flaviflorus

Baby turbinicarpus flaviflorus, after cross-pollination, sets tiny fruits - capsules, which at first reliably hide in the densely pubescent crown. The fruit is dry, after ripening it cracks and small black seeds spill out at the slightest touch of the cactus. Fresh seeds germinate well.

Mammillaria bokasskaya pink

Mammillaria bocasana rosea

and

Mammillaria bokasana brilliant

Mammillaria bocasana splendens

Mammillaria bocasana rosea and mammillariabokasana brilliant (splendens), begin to form fruitsonly a few months after flowering. Moreover, the promotion of fruits occurs from the end of summer and throughout the winter, and even inspring next year. Fruits on a cactus do not dry out for several months. M. bokasana is shiny, the fruits are absurdly long, up to 4 cm. M. bokasana pink has shorter and thicker fruits. The seeds are small brown.

Mammillaria wildi

Mammillaria wildi

Mammillaria wildi, so she is generally a "multi-station",
she manages to bloom in the summer and bear fruit at the same time, and forming an ovaryafter the last almost autumn flowering (m. wildi is capable of bloomingsti from April to September) turns into fruit in the next February - March. Fruits about 1.5 - 1.8 cm, brightly colored serve as an additional decoration for this cactus. Seeds are small, black. The germination rate of fresh seeds is rather low.

Senile rebutia

Rebutia senilis

Senile rebutia (senilis sp,), being a self-pollinating species, bears fruit as readily as it blooms. The fruits are orange-red, after ripening, they dry out, losing their color, crack and pour countless black seeds right under the cactus itself. Do not be surprised to find under your rebution a horde of microscopic, green, thorny tadpoles, diligently reaching for the light from under the thorny side of their mother - a cactus. Yes, yes, senile rebutia is capable of giving "self-garden"), which is more typical for country weeds.

Mammillaria geminispin (parno-prickly)

Mammillaria geminispina

Fruiting of the geminispina mammillaria is not inferior to its luxurious flowering. Fruits appear a couple of months after flowering, closer to autumn, and move very amicably. Directly a fruit ring that adorns the cactus all winter. Mammillaria fruits do not dry out and do not crack for a very long time. But this girl is not predictable, like many mammillaria, and can be covered with fruits in almost a year, diligently hiding the pollinated ovary in densely pubescent axillae (the place where flowers grow in mammillaria, located between the papillae). One of my two geminispins described on the page "From bud to flower" , covered with fruits in the fall in the year of flowering, and the second only the next spring! In the photo on the right, the fruit is completely dry after removing it from the cactus. Seeds at m. Geminispina are small, light brown. Fresh, only harvested seeds have excellent germination.

Setechinopsis mirabilis

Setiechinopsis mirabilis

Have network of echinopsis mirabilis, the fruit begins to form immediately after flowering and it forms at the very base of the cephaly (the very long stem on which it forms its wonderful flower). After about 1.5 months, the ripe fruit - the berry cracks. In this case, the seeds, at least for the first time, do not spill out. Seeds are numerous, rather large by cactus standards, black - gray, "speckled". Seeds of Setechinopsis have an interesting feature, one-year-old seeds have a germination rate of almost 100%, since fresh ones, only picked from the fruit, hatch at a minimum.

to grow a rare plant at home, you need to find the secrets of care. Most people respect unusual flowers. The care conditions for many classes of plants are the same. A capricious blooming creature requires painstaking fulfillment of conditions. In this article, the authors tried to cite a few secrets in order to avoid disappointment when growing an exotic plant. We recommend that you clarify for further events which class your flower belongs to.

Are cacti edible?

Eating cactus pulp is the same as eating watermelon or cucumber, as it contains 70-90% water. Having cut down a cactus the size of a barrel, the traveler provides himself with moisture, and the horse with succulent food. Many types of cactus produce large, juicy and aromatic fruits. They are used to make jam, compotes, eaten raw, and from some types they make stews with meat.

Studies in Mexico have shown that cacti can be used for vitamins, hormones, wines and liqueurs, soaps, and industrial alcohol. Waste is eaten by poultry.

However, do not rush to eat cactus from your windowsill, as they can be poisonous. Our cacti are mainly bred as ornamental plants. Among the Mexicans, one of the types of cacti - prickly pear - is even considered a sacred plant. The image of the prickly pear is included in the national coat of arms of the country.

An old Mexican legend tells how, once tired of many days of wandering in the mountains, the Aztec tribe (Indian peoples of Mexico) stopped to rest on the shores of Lake Texcoco. On a small island, they noticed an eagle sitting on a prickly pear and tearing a snake with its claws. The Aztecs considered it a good omen, they descended from the mountains and in the place where they saw the eagle, founded the city of Tenochtitlan - "the place of the sacred prickly pear". The Aztecs found this pictorial composition on July 18, 1325. This is the official date for the founding of Tenochtitlan. Now this place is Mexico City, the capital of Mexico.

Several types of cacti grow in Mexico, the fruits and stems of which are eaten. There is no exotic in this - spade-shaped stalks of "nopales" are sold in markets in Mexico in bags and cost a penny. They are eaten fresh, boiled, fried, and pickled. It is believed that nopal normalizes blood sugar levels and removes many toxins from the body. It is used in medicine to treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The sweetish fruit of the same cactus "tuna" is also eaten - a juicy fruit of red, orange or yellowish color.

It is said that an edible thornless cactus was grown in Israel to help with hypertension, diabetes, whooping cough and asthma. It is believed that the juice from this cactus can lower blood sugar levels, which has been confirmed by a number of medical studies. In addition, eating about 250 grams of Mexican cactus daily with food lowers blood cholesterol levels. The pulp of this cactus is prepared like a steak or, wrapped in foil, baked together with meat in the oven.

There were enthusiasts in Kazakhstan who wanted to breed cacti for livestock feed. They were going to grow thornless species in desert zones, which animals eat with pleasure, but they did not succeed.

At the mention of cacti, most imagine a plant that is densely covered with needles. According to their biological structure, cacti or Cactaceae are a whole numerous family of flowering perennial plants, which are classified in the order of Cloves. Scientists believe that cacti began to develop about 40 million years ago.

Cacti can be considered representatives of some of the most ancient plants on planet Earth. Plants grew at a time when North America was not yet connected to South America, since the planets had not yet undergone tectonic changes. The homeland of cacti is the territory of modern South America.

Currently, on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, you can find Opuntia cacti. Not many people know that on the territory of their growth, cacti were used more often as a food product, as well as a medicinal and ritual plant. In fact, edible cacti occupied an important place in the diet of many ancient civilizations that inhabited the American continent and Indochina.

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